1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chassis for a gliding sport element such as a roller skate or an ice skate, and a gliding sport element including such a chassis.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
A chassis of the aforementioned type must ensure the linkage between the gliding member(s) themselves, namely the skate blade, wheels, or rollers, and the user's foot.
The chassis is therefore generally constituted by a support surface that is capable of receiving the boot of the athlete, and by one or two lateral flanges adapted to receive the wheels, rollers, or the blade of the skate.
The chassis must also have substantial characteristics of mechanical resistance while being as light as possible, to avoid the forces imposed by the athlete from being too substantial.
Furthermore, the increasing technicality of these gliding sport elements, especially for in-line roller skates, further increases the conflicting requirements which must be met by the skate chassis, namely:
an increased mechanical resistance and stability, especially for speed skates, but also for the so-called free ride, free style, or hockey skates; PA1 some flexibility, especially in certain zones of the skate to enable the shape of the skate to adapt to the path covered, especially in turns at high speed; PA1 various and original forms the meet e(merging and changing fashion requirements; and PA1 a lowest possible manufacturing cost. PA1 the cost of the molds; PA1 limited selection of materials capable of being molded; PA1 low mechanical resistance of these molding materials, even when they are metallic; and PA1 insufficient molding precision, requiring additional machining, especially with respect to alignment of the holes for fixing the wheels or the skate blade on a two-flange chassis.
The techniques used in manufacturing the currently known chassis do not make it possible to meet all of these requirements, while maintaining a reasonable manufacturing cost.
Indeed, the oldest manufacturing technique consists of making such chassis from a U-shaped folded metal sheet, as shown in the document DE 10 33 569, for example.
Such a manufacturing principle, while inexpensive, does not, however, make it possible to obtain a large variety of forms, nor chassis with substantial mechanical resistance, unless the thickness of the metal sheet, and therefore the weight thereof, are substantially increased.
Another commonly used technique consists of making the chassis by molding from a synthetic, or metallic, material. Molding offers the advantage of allowing various forms, but it also has numerous disadvantages:
Chassis made of composite fibers are also known. These chassis can indeed be obtained in almost all possible forms, but their manufacture is extremely expensive and difficult to industrialize. Furthermore, while such chassis are extremely rigid, they lack flexibility and are therefore fragile and "uncomfortable."
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,846 has proposed to make a chassis for ice skates or roller skates from a profiled metallic bar whose transverse cross section corresponds to the general section desired for the chassis, the final form of the chassis being obtained after machining with removal of material.
Such a manufacturing method is also very expensive, due to the necessary machining period and the quantity of material to be removed. It does not allow for a great freedom with respect to the form or profile of the chassis.